Each year, Title I programs are required to host a meeting for parents to explain what the Title I program is and how parents can become involved in the Title I program. (This is different from the Annual Review Meeting which is also a requirement). At this meeting, the following issues must be addressed:

- Explain their school’s participation in Title I
- Explain the Title I requirements
- Explain what participation in Title I programming means, including:
- A description and explanation of the school’s curriculum;
- Information on the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress; and
- Information on the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
- Explain the district parental involvement policy, school parental involvement policy, and school-parent compact.
- Explain what the school-wide program is and how the school-wide plan will be assessed for effectiveness.
- Explain the right of parents to become involved in the school’s programs and ways to do so.
- Explain that parents have the right to request opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school must respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

In order to keep parents informed, schools must invite all parents of children participating in Title I Part A programs and encourage them to attend. In a school-wide program, this means ALL parents should be invited. Schools must also offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening so that as many parents as possible are able to attend.

Children Experiencing Homelessness Definition

As defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act Subtitle B of Title VII, Section 725 reauthorized as Title X Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001. The term “homeless children and youths” –

(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and

(B) includes

1. Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;

2. children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;

3. children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and

4. migratory children (as such is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (1) through (3).

How to Interpret the McKinney-Vento Definition

Excerpt taken from “Determining Rights and Services Under the McKinney-Vento Act” information created by the National Center for Homeless Education www.serve.org/nche. The entire document is posted on the NCHE website.

Determining whether a particular child or youth fits the definition of homeless is a case-by-case analysis. The easiest way to make a determination of homelessness is to: (A) see if the student’s situation fits into one of the specific examples of homelessness listed in the law; and if not, (B) consider if the student
is in another situation that would fit the definition of homelessness by not meeting the fixed, regular, and
adequate standard.

IF THE RESIDENCE IS NOT FIXED, REGULAR, AND ADEQUATE,
IT IS CONSIDERED A HOMELESS SITUATION.

Does the child or youth’s living situation fit into one of the specific examples of homelessness
listed in the law?

• Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason.
“Sharing the housing of other persons…” implies that the student is staying in another person’s home.

Some pertinent questions to help determine if this is the case would include:
• Does the student have any legal right to be in that home?
• Can the student be asked to leave at any time with no legal recourse?
• Is the living situation intended to be temporary or long-term?
• Did the student move into the home as an urgent measure to avoid being on the street or in another precarious situation?

“…due to loss of housing...” implies that the student has no personal housing available. Did the student
or family lose their previous housing due to:

• An eviction or an inability to pay the rent or other bills?
• Destruction of or damage to the previous home?
• Abuse or neglect (such as in the case of a youth who leaves or is asked to leave the home)?
• Unhealthy conditions such as an inadequate physical environment, infestations, drug or alcohol
abuse in the home, or domestic violence?
• The absence of a parent or guardian due to abandonment, the parent’s or guardian’s incarceration, or another reason?

“…economic hardship …” includes cases where limited financial resources have forced families or youth
to leave personal residences and share housing due to an inability to pay rent and other bills. The way
that the shared housing came about and the intention of the residents are significant. For example:

If economic hardship such as an accident or illness, loss of employment, loss of public benefits, or condition of poverty forces families to share housing temporarily, the children and youth are eligible for McKinney-Vento services.

A long-term, cooperative living arrangement among families or friends that is fixed, regular, and adequate should not be considered a homeless situation, even if the parties are living together to save money.

Living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping ground due to the lack of alternative adequate
accommodations.

The phrase“…due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations” can help determine whether these living situations should be considered homeless situations.

• Motels, hotels, and camping grounds will almost always be homeless situations, as they are rarely fixed, regular, and adequate; however, considering whether alternative adequate accommodations are available can help identify possible exceptions, such as a wealthy family living in a luxury hotel on a long-term basis when adequate alternatives are available to the family.
• In contrast, trailer parks often are fixed, regular, and adequate residences. Asking questions about the condition and size of the trailer, the number of people living there, the intended length of stay, and whether the family or youth has an adequate alternative will help determine if the student is eligible for McKinney-Vento services.
• Living in an emergency or transitional shelter.

Emergency or transitional shelters of all kinds, including youth shelters, domestic violence shelters, family shelters, transitional living programs, and supportive housing programs are homeless situations.

• Abandoned in a hospital. A child or youth abandoned in the hospital is eligible for McKinney-Vento services.
• Awaiting foster care placement.
• Living in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping
accommodation for human beings.

Examples of some places that meet these criteria include a health clinic, an office, a public restroom, or an unfinished basement or attic.
• Living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or
similar setting.

These specific examples are largely self-explanatory. In evaluating whether housing is “substandard,” consider that substandard means “deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm” or “of a quality lower than that prescribed by law.” Thus, determining if housing is substandard requires comparing the housing with community norms and the law, including a consideration of such factors as:

• Health and safety concerns
• Number of occupants per square foot
• Age of occupants
• State and local building codes

If the child’s, family’s, or youth’s situation does not fit the examples provided in the
definition, is the child or youth living in another type of situation that is not fixed, regular, and
adequate?

South Dakota Parent Information Resource Network

The SD Parent Information and Resource Center will no longer be supported through US Department of Education funding. The PIRC website www.sdpirc.org will remain available for families and schools to access resources. PIRC school based services are available based on a fee for service. For additional information, please contact Lori Laughlin at (605) 347-6260.

Title III and Migrant

The Title III and Migrant Offices held an ELL/Migrant Conference at Cedar Shores, Oacoma on June 20-21, 2012. The conference featured Dr. Sara Waring and Dr. Catherine Collier as key note presenters. Breakout sessions were provided by Dr. Waring, Dr. Collier, Cindy Niederbaumer, Kelly McKay-Semmler, and Linda Reetz. The presentations focused on Instructional Strategies for teachers with Limited English Diverse Learners as well as a current LEAs experience with a growing population of English Language Learners and how a university has helped them to meet the challenging needs of their students.

Title I Summer School Reports

Schoolwide programs providing services through a summer school program should fill out a Title I Summer Program Summary report and submit it to Beth.Schiltz@state.sd.us even if federal funds are not utilized for this program. All programs in schoolwide schools are to be included in their schoolwide plan.

Title I Targeted Assistance programs using Title I funds a Title I summer school also need to fill out the Title I Summer Program Summary Report and either send it in or email it. This information is used to verify use of funds. It is also reported to US Ed.

Watch for news about Title I summer school programs in upcoming Title Newsletters.